TriMet's board of directors officially made Doug Kelsey the next leader of the tri-county transportation district after a 5-1 vote Wednesday.

Kelsey, a Canadian citizen, left Vancouver's TransLink to become chief operating officer at TriMet in 2015. He starts his new role March 5, pending renewal of a visa allowing him to work in the United States. The board will now negotiate a contract and salary with Kelsey.

Doug KelseyCourtesy of Trimet

Travis Stovall, one of seven TriMet board members appointed by the governor, was not at the meeting but sent a letter supporting Kelsey. Rev. T. Allen Bethel was the lone no vote on the board.

Kelsey will oversee an agency with a $532 million operating budget that serves a population area of 1.5 million people. It made 8 million transit trips last month and sees an average of more than 304,700 rides.

He said the transit agency is in a "wonderful position" due to an expected influx of new revenue tied to a state transportation package approved in 2017 and an increase in payroll taxes it charges to employers and self-employed workers. He wants to continue building on the region's "great" rail network and expand the bus system.

"It's humbling to be able to help deliver service every day in a safe way," Kelsey said in an interview. "To get people to their soccer game and their music classes, get people home. It's a wonderful calling when you can help shape a region for the next 50 to 100 years."

TriMet conducted a national search for its new general manager, but Board Chair Bruce Warner said the best option was clearly Kelsey, who emerged as the lone finalist last month.

"We selected Doug not because he's already here," Warner said at the meeting Wednesday, "but because he could demonstrate a track record of success that no other could match."

Kelsey succeeds Neil McFarlane, who lead the agency from 2010 until his retirement last week. McFarlane signaled last fall that he intended to step down. During his tenure, TriMet opened the Orange Line expansion to Milwaukie, but he also oversaw the agency during an economic downturn and faced stagnant ridership in recent years despite an influx of new residents.

The 59-year-old helped pitch Vancouver as a 2010 host for the Winter Olympic games and led transportation planning for the global sporting event. He also worked previously for Shell Canada and Starbucks. Kelsey left TransLink along with other senior executives after a transportation funding package failed.

Kelsey told the board he intends to conduct a district-wide listening tour during the next three months, and take a hard look at all issues facing the agency. He also proposed an analysis of TriMet's management diversity and compensation for women and people of color at the agency. He also said safety and security for TriMet bus drivers and train conductors will be top priorities.

"We need more presence on the system and in different ways," he said of security for employees and riders.

Jonathan Hunt, vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 757, which represents some 2,495 TriMet employees, said the bargaining group does not support Kelsey's appointment.

Hunt said that Kelsey appears to support embracing ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft, which eat into public transit and threaten jobs. "He couldn't contain his glee as he talked about automating his workforce out of existence," Hunt said.

Appointing Kelsey is an indication the board itself should be reformed. Hunt said.

Kelsey said there are always differences between a union and management, but he looks forward to working on the relationship and moving the agency forward. The union and management have a lot of things in common, including its customers and the need to ferry people safely. "We have a lot of work to do on those things," he said.